Dorian Finney-Smith – Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have been red-hot as of late, likely resulting in them looking to “buy” rather than “sell” at the deadline this season, but Dorian Finney-Smith finds himself in a very intriguing situation in Dallas.
Dorian Finney-Smith is in the final year of his contract and is only making $4M this season, meaning that pretty much any team in the league could absorb his contract by sending out minimum salary players in a hypothetical trade.
Dallas is over the salary cap and under the tax line on the season, but they are going to have a bit of a financial crisis on their hands heading into the offseason.
Kristaps Porzingis’ contract is set to increase from $31.6M this season to $33.8M next season, Luka Doncic’s contract increases from $10.1M to $35.7M given his long-term extension he recently signed, and Jalen Brunson is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
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Already looking like they will have close to $140M locked down in payroll for the 2022-23 season, the Mavericks will be very limited in moves they can make this offseason and could very well have trouble retaining both Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency without paying a ton in luxury taxes.
Averaging career-highs in points (10.3), assists (1.9), steals (1.2) and field goals made per game (3.8), Dorian Finney-Smith has proven to be an impactful, two-way player that can fit in at the small-forward or power-forward positions.
Not to mention, he is shooting 36.8% from three-point range this season, making him a great catch-and-shoot threat around stars like the Bulls currently have.
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Being a lengthy, agile defender, Dorian Finney-Smith would be the perfect complementary forward to pair with Patrick Williams on the wing. The Bulls would not be tied down to him long-term, they would not have to sacrifice a ton of assets to land him and he would immediately make an impact as a secondary contributor on the offensive end of the floor.
Who the Mavericks would want in return for Dorian Finney-Smith is a mystery, but the Bulls could leverage guys like Coby White, Troy Brown Jr., and Derrick Jones Jr. in trade talks for the 28-year-old combo-forward.
